2018 Oodua Festival: Are Ona Kakanfo reverses Aole’s curse on Yoruba

The 15th Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland and Chief Promoter of Olokun Festival Foundation, last week stormed Ile Ife, the spiritual headquarter of Yorubaland  for the annual Oodua Festival with a renewed strength and determination  to continue championing promotion of Yoruba  culture and tradition and defend the race.

 Adams who was appearing in public  for the first official assignment  after his  installation as the Generalissimo of Yorubaland on January 13 by Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi, the Alaafin of Oyo, in the historical town of Oyo, in his speech demonstrated dexterity and  high level of determination  to unite Yoruba race and defend it against any form of external social cultural or spiritual aggression.

Oodua Festival is an annual festival championed by Olokun Festival Foundation,  to celebrate the progenitor of Yoruba race and pray for more blessings and unity in among the  Yoruba, the annual event features traditional rites, beauty pageant lectures and entertainment and it is always celebrated in Ile-Ife. Like the previous edition, the 2018  Oodua Festival witnessed mammoth crowd of participants and tourists from different parts of the world and provide opportunities for business owners, transporters, Okada riders, food vendors and others to enjoy great patronage and huge income.

The Ooni of Ife, who always declares the event  opened  did not go otherwise in  2018 edition  as His Imperial Majesty, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja 11 declared the event  open  at the Oduduwa  palace  where Aare Gani Adams has gone to pay him homage  with his entourage,

Ooni who was meeting the Aare for the first time after his installation described Adams as God’s choice and specially bred also offered special prayers for the progress of Yorubaland and unity of the people of the race.

Aare Gani Adams was accompanied to the palace by the executives and some members of Oodua Progressives Union, (OPU), a social-cultural organisation of Yoruba people in the Diaspora, with branches in 79 countries across the continents of Africa, Asia, Europe and  America.

The Chief promoter of Olokun Festival Foundation and National leader of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC) started his welcome remark  with what can be termed as a reversal of Aole’s curse against Yoruba race  with a special prayer which lasted for about five minutes after which he descended on the agent of destabilisation of Yoruba race warning and urging them to desist from  working against the interest of the race

“It is a new dawn because we have come a long way in our struggles for unity among the Yorubas. Today, as I stand before you, great sons and daughters of Oduduwa, I urge you all to join me in my vision and commitment to unite the race. This is a dream not too big, and we can all make it a reality.

In the past, Yoruba race occupied a special pride of place across the world. This was possible because of our unique tradition, cultural heritage and intelligence. We were once a blessed race among the comity of nations, in the past, we eulogised our gods and deities; we cherished hard work and diligence, we appreciated truthfulness and honesty. We honored talents and wisdom, there was a common identity between the traditional institutions and our core values are tailored towards making us a complete man. That was what translates to what Yorubas of those years called ‘The Omoluabi” a complete man.

“Today, everything has changed, the good old days have gone with the winds and our unique sense of pride had been relegated to the background and the ugly result is what we see today, we have lost everything that we can be proud of as a people and before our very own eyes the new generation of sons and daughters of Yoruba have lost touch with our history, this is too bad because our past history is supposed to be template for achieving the great future. It is good to say it anywhere in the world that  Yoruba race is blessed with a population of over 250 million people across the world, but  has that population really helped us in anyway? Not at all.
 While commending the efforts of  custodians of culture and tradition including the Alaafin of Oyo  Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja 11, for the concerted efforts  at different forums to promote  unity  of Yoruba race  Adams said “As the foremost Yoruba Obas, history has bestowed on them the role of a bridge builder and a unifying factor, therefore, I call on the other Yoruba Obas to join hands with them so that the Yoruba race  will take its place of pride  and become one of the  greatest races in the world.”

Adams, however, urged  the Yoruba people to always embrace their culture and tradition and spend more resources to promote  tourism potentials in Yorubaland, he also appealed to politicians to align with the traditional institutions and partner with the traditional rulers for common goal of ensuring grassroots development

Ooni of Ife, Oba Ogunwusi, while addressing the crowd said Yoruba race is a special race with unique features and tradition “We are not only the oldest,we are the best, Yorubaland is the centre of the world. Our unique tradition and  culture earned us respect  and a place of pride among other tribes, it is therefore essential for us to be united and work together as a  tribe, we should  continue to communicate with God through fasting and prayer and appeasing to our gods for prosperity and progress of the land.”

Apart from the eulogy of the foremost African monarch, other custodians of culture and stakeholders who graced the occasion including  Owa of Ijeroland  lauded  Adams for his consistency in promotion of Yoruba culture and prayed for his success and long life as the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland.

The guest lecturer, Professor Adisa Ogunfolakan, in his lecture said the emergence of different pan Yoruba groups and most importantly Gani Adams led Oodua People’s Congress is restoring hope and faith that Oduduwa as root of our emergence and oneness should be held supreme preserved and adored.

While congratulating Gani Adams on his installation as the 15th Aare Ona Kakanfo Ogunfolakan, who is the Director Natural History Museum, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife said ” You are a round peg in a round hole, indeed, you are the Oduduwa of our time, Oduduwa did it and achieved it, I pray that the irumole olukotun, irumole olukosi will help and sustain you to achieve unity and oneness of Yoruba people.”

Dignitaries at the event include Owa Of Ajero, Oba Joseph Adewole, Onigbaye of Igbaye Oba  Joseph Morohunfoye,  Rotimi Falola, Sangodeji, Sango  of Africa Ife traditional chiefs  and others.

Tourists and participants were thrilled with fascinating performances of different cultural troupes including Oodua cultural group, and others.